Sunrise, Sunset

An observer’s guide to the best sunrises and sunsets around San Diego.

Winter is an often-ideal time for watching the sun rise or set in and around San Diego. Picture yourself on a clear late afternoon, perched atop a seaside bluff or on one of the hills that rise above the city, looking west. The sun, a yellow orb squashed by atmospheric refraction, just touches the ocean horizon. The sun sinks from sight in two minutes — leaving, maybe, a fleeting flash of green. Afterward, the bowl of night imperceptibly advances, overtaking everything but a lingering orange or red band in the west. In the deepening blue-gray sky up high, steely first-magnitude stars begin to appear, flickering with light tickled by turbulent layers of air.

For the sunrise scenario, simply reverse the foregoing description. Sunrise — for those who are able to drag themselves out of bed — may deliver even more spectacular imagery. San Diego’s air is often at its transparent best on winter mornings — at least on those occasions when low-lying clouds or hazy marine air doesn’t spoil the view.

Here are recommendations for a few prime sun-watching spots around the San Diego metro area:

For the sunset: Try any cliff edge from Sunset Cliffs in the south to Leucadia in the north. For a feeling of spaciousness, Sunset Cliffs Park (below Point Loma Nazarene University and along Sunset Cliffs Boulevard), and the Glider Port near UCSD are hard to beat.

For both sunset and sunrise: Those willing to hoof it about three miles round trip should try either Woodson Mountain near Poway or Cowles Mountain in San Diego. Both offer metropolis-wide views backed by the ocean in the west and the montane skyline to the east. Wear shoes with good traction for both hikes, and have a flashlight handy for the ascent (at dawn) or descent (at dusk). For Woodson, park just off Highway 67 at a point three miles north of Poway Road. Walk past a fire station on the west side of the road, then join a paved path leading to the summit. It’s an hour’s hard climb to the mountain’s 2894-foot summit. For Cowles, the main route starts at Navajo Road and Golfcrest Drive in San Diego’s San Carlos district. A 45-minute walk puts most hikers atop the 1591-foot summit. The severely eroded condition of the main Cowles Mountain trail makes extra caution necessary, especially when it’s dark.

For the sunrise: Mount Helix, east of La Mesa, collects far too many cars for far too few parking spaces at the time of the sunset, but it is mercifully free of visitors at sunrise. Park (where you can do so legally) down below in one of the residential areas and walk up (a mile or more) toward the summit. Good views can be had along much of the narrow roadway that coils upward toward the summit. Another choice spot lies in the Del Cerro neighborhood of San Diego. From the east terminus of Dwane Avenue, walk only 200 feet east for a stunning view of Lake Murray at your feet and the sun just poking its head above the mountains far to the east.

This article contains information about publicly owned recreation or wilderness areas. Trails and pathways are not necessarily marked. Conditions can change rapidly. Hikers should be properly equipped and have safety and navigational skills. The Reader and Jerry Schad assume no responsibility for any adverse experience.